✔️ Unconditionally [Book 2] | Jeon Jungkook

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"Good morning, you two."

Haneul's voice was soft but loud enough to wake Hyun-Ji from her tentative sleep. It felt like she just blinked rather than slept as she opened tired, dry eyes and slowly sat up from her now uncomfortable position at Jungkook's bedside.

Haneul came over to her, brow drawn together, and moved Hyun-Ji's hair away from her face. "Did you sleep like this all night, honey?"

Hyun-Ji has sat in a chair at his bedside and laid her head next to his legs, using her arms as a pillow.

"Not all night..." she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Did you sleep at all?" Haneul asked, softer this time.

Hyun-Ji smiled weakly and nodded. "I slept, mom." She thought she did, at least.

Looking at the dark circles under her eyes, Haneul wasn't too convinced. The effects of stress were starting to show in Hyun-Ji's face.  It already looked slimmer than usual and Haneul was sure that she was losing weight.

She needed a real bed to sleep in instead of the hospital-grade convertible couch, but Hyun-Ji refused to go home for long, only stopping by every few days to get a new batch of clean clothes.

It had been ten days since he'd gone to sleep.

Scolding Hyun-Ji would have to wait until later. If Jungkook could hear them, she didn't want to worry or scare him with Hyun-Ji's deteriorating condition. Instead, she kissed the top of her daughter's head before going to her son and kissing his.

"Kookie, it's mom. Your dad has a client to meet but he'll be here about lunchtime. The school hasn't called me, so I'm here all day."

"And you," she said, turning back to Hyun-Ji. "You need to eat."

Her hunger was virtually nonexistent, and not even the delicious scents coming from the offered lunch box could wake up her appetite. She accepted the container that Haneul handed her anyway, not daring to argue about it in front of Jungkook.

"Thank you, mom," she smiled, sitting the food on a tray near his bed. Maybe after she showered she would start to feel hungry.

Haneul gave her a pointed look but remained silent, turning her attention back to her son while Hyun-Ji went to the en-suite bathroom to prepare for the day.

A little while later, Hyun-Ji picked through the food Haneul brought her while going about her new daily routine of updating everyone on Jungkook's condition and checking in with Taehyung about Hyori. Haneul sat next to Jungkook, talking to him as if he were as alert as ever.

In the sea of text messages was another from her father. She didn't keep her word of calling him the next day, and if she were to be honest, it was intentional. Having felt like she made a deal with the devil just to get him to leave the hospital the night of the accident, she didn't want to call him at all.

But it was a deal she made, and not keeping it would probably be worse than just calling and getting it over with.

Hyun-Ji chewed on her lip and looked up at Haneul, who was telling Jungkook about her day.

"Mom? Will you be with him for a few minutes? I have to make a call."

"Sure, honey. Take a break. I'll be here," she smiled.